xyxle.com
xyxle ® THE CONTENT NETWORK is an electronic interface and distribution network in the B2B sector. It is one of the most complex B2B platforms allowing suppliers and distributers to efficiently work together and exchange data.
Providers and their suppliers (producers, distributors, musicians, designers) are importing data to xyxle, either by using "input masks" or automated ERP systems. On the other side, buyers receive this content for online stores, physical stores, digital service providers, call centers, print catalogs, IAP etc. Large volumes of data can be exported via APIs to their ERP systems or via the xyxle eCatalog section.
VIEW CASE STUDY
xyxle.com - The Content Network
Client: Xyxle AG, Switzerland
Business presentation
xyxle ® THE CONTENT NETWORK is an electronic interface and distribution network in the B2B sector. It is one of the most complex B2B platforms allowing suppliers and distributers to efficiently work together and exchange data. Providers and their suppliers (producers, distributors, musicians, designers) are importing data to xyxle, either by using "input masks" or automated ERP systems. On the other side, buyers receive this content for online stores, physical stores, digital service providers, call centers, print catalogs, IAP etc. Large volumes of data can be exported via APIs to their ERP systems or via the xyxle eCatalog section.
Challenges
Developed for the B2B sector, there were some key factors that had to be taken into consideration when designing and implementing the application:
- Performance: the system should support millions of items, thousands of users and large number of files without running into performance problems
- Security: integrity of the data, support for different authorization rules, logging of users activity
- Diversity: the system has to support a large number of attributes for items in different industries (music, electronic, food, art, etc.)
- Scalability: if the business and traffic increases, the system should be able to scale to multiple servers without downtime
- UI optimization: having hundreds of functionalities and sections, the UI has to be optimized to facilitate different business processes and scenarios
Collaboration Overview
The project started in 2010. BitStone allocated initially for the client 2 developers, 1 tester and a software architect. A big challenge was to design the system to meet all the requirements for the B2B sector (performance, security, scalability, diversity, etc.). The system was implemented from scratch, for web, using modern technologies. Developers worked together with the client using SCRUM methodology. For several occasions, the team travelled to Switzerland to meet the client and discuss business cases that were more complex. To avoid data loss and downtime, automatic deployment methods have been used. A sandbox server is available where all the features are tested before putting them in production.
A first release has been made at the beginning of 2011. After the first version of xyxle, a new version has been developed and was released in 2012. Since then, 1 developer is constantly allocated for maintenance, support and development of new features.
Results
The robust, highly scalable platform offers Xyxle the flexibility it needs to serve its diverse customer base. We actively participated in the business process and offered solutions for various problems. We had a very good collaboration with the client from the beginning and we developed a long term partnership.
Technologies
Zend Framework, MySql, Php, jQuery+plugins, Web services, MemCached, Selenium
